Q&A with Carlos Munoz: Another strong '500'

By
indycar.com staff
| Published:
May 30, 2014

DETROIT -- Carlos Munoz, 22, of Colombia finished fourth in the 98th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 25 and is entered in his first Verizon IndyCar Series race on the 2.36-mile, 13-turn Belle Isle circuit.

In 2013, Munoz started and finished second in the Indy 500 as a rookie. A few quick hits with Munoz:

Q: This is Carlos first time racing at the Detroit Grand Prix in an IndyCar. He raced here in 2012 in Indy Lights. This is a new configuration since you raced here in Indy Lights, what are your thoughts on the track from first practice?

A: In 2012 with the Indy Lights, it went pretty good. I finished second. So, first thought it was really, really, really… bumpy. This track is the bumpiest …so far here in America. So I think it is quite hard and in the beginning everyone had a clear idea where to break, where to accelerate. For me, for the rookies in general, we took some time to get up to speed because it’s totally different from what you used to drive so it took a little while to get used to the bumps to the corners. But just the configuration of the track is nice … just really bumpy.

Q: You finished fourth in your second Indianapolis 500 even though you’re a full-time rookie this season; not a rookie at that race considering you finished second there last year. What is it about that track that you just have figured out so well in your limited experience there?

A: I don’t know. I’ve been really good at that place also in Indy Lights. You get up to speed quicker than anyone. You know you have a good car. I've been lucky to be working with a lot of teammates. They helped me a lot. We work really well in the Month of May altogether, having so many teammates.

Q: What was it like working with Kurt Busch?

A: It was really fun. He has some weird vocabulary. I still don’t understand what he said to the engineers when the car was 'loose.' I don’t know the word he said. The engineers were looking at him and looking at each other. I still don’t understand what he said. But he is a great guy. He wasn’t really a rookie. Everyone, I think we helped him a lot. It was great to have him on board and he did pretty well."